I know this is subjective to a degree. I am asking for best practice or experienced input.

TL;DR:
How willing should a designer be to share specific job specifications with a past client?

Should all information regarding the processes of creating materials be open for request or is it wise for the designer to not share production information and specifications?

I'm referring to general job information - color, size, stock, print vendor - I am not referring to files or artwork. Actual files are another matter entirely

Scenario: I've been working with a client for approximately 10-12 years. They were a startup when I was introduced to them. This client was related another client whom I've known for a couple decades. So, it all started as more of a "favor". There is no formal contract (yeah my mistake to a degree). But there have always been emails back and forth.. price of X is $X.. is that okay?.. yes... etc. So there is a written record of transactions.

I created a logo design, corporate ID package, web site, marketing collaterals, etc. Much of this included custom vector artwork. I've essentially been their sole provider for design, print or web, for more than 10 years. I performed many things at a very reduced rate and never bothered "nickel and diming" them over small things. This is all fine with me.

Over the years they've grown and been successful to the point where I can't effectively accommodate some of their desires in terms of web design in the timeframe they want.

They have a habit of thinking of me as an "employee" willing to drop everything and do what they need the moment they ask. I explained the issue to them - I can perform what they need, but the time necessary for some tasks simply makes me slow due to other commitments. There's been a trade-off the last few years. I take a little more time with their projects and in turn I was charging a bit less.

Recently, I was asked for all web site passwords/login because, as they put it "In case something happened to me." Well, lo and behold they had actually hired some Wordpress-factory to redo their web site and they needed the information to move hosting and alter DNS and, well, cut me out of the loop entirely. This, while it's not something I enjoy, was understood. I would have supplied the information even if I knew they were moving things to another company. Business is business and as posted, I wasn't turning things around as fast as they wanted.

Since that time, I've been asked to supply vector files, which I refused, explaining "all custom artwork remains the property of [me]". This upset the client and they sent a rather abrupt email to me with the standard [misguided] "we paid for design so we paid for the art too!" argument. They even through in.. "we don't have a contract so you can't keep the art."

I politely asked the client to call so I could explain. They said they would however never did. I know that I own the art. I also know without a contract my position on the matter is stronger, not weaker. I'm a freelancer.. using my tools on my time as I see fit. I am not an employee. But again, that seems to be the general mindset towards me here.

Since I never got a call.. I am left to assume that the new company they've hired is cannibalizing previous PDFs I created and taking artwork. Although I have no evidence of that directly, yet.

Today, I get an email request specifications for their business cards... specifically stock and weight.

Clearly they are cutting me out of the print loop as well. Again, their choice I won't argue about it with them. However, I feel it is a bit inappropriate for them to ask me how I performed my tasks. That would include specific specifications for any project.

The client apparently knows the vendor I was using. (over the years, I probably forgot to tick the "no label" option at some point when I ordered something for them and shipped it directly to them.) However, if I were ever asked for that information directly I would not have supplied it, even when we were on good terms. To supply such information now, seems untenable for me.

I don't want to be "difficult" intentionally, but I also do not want to "give away the store" trying to avoid conflict. I really do not wish to create any animosity or generate an adversarial relationship with the client. But I feel some of the requests are becoming overreaching and supplying the information is essentially asking me for how I run my business.

Where I'm wavering is in that thought. I do not know if I'm being over-sensitive regarding the sharing of information or if my perception that they are asking too much is correct.

So, I'm left wondering... Should all information regarding the processes of creating materials be open for request for a past client? Or is it wise for the designer to not share production information and specifications?

I get, and retain, clients specifically because of how I perform tasks. Sharing that seems too much to me. Should former clients be allowed to "pick my brain" regarding my processes? Or am I being silly?

I would let it go 100%.

Answer all their questions and put a deadline date after which you are no longer taking requests. I will gladly help with this information, but you need to take over internally asap. They will figure things out sooner than you'd expect.

I had a client like this. Similar story.

Worked for about 8 years on pretty much everything print & web until they got sooo big, listed on the stock exchange and grew from 3-4 people to probably hundreds of people. At that point the volume of work was so large and urgent that i was actually freelancing from their office to keep up with everything. Basicly a well paid, on-call, in-house freelancer.

Things worked for a while at this pace and the pay was good, but as a pure breed freelancer i wasn't happy about hello-ing their accounting every day at the coffee machine, and the thing also was kind of taking over my everything else. There was also remote work, but when the urgent was really urgent, i would be stuck there for 2 weeks full time.

One day, I emailed the bosses and told them i will no longer be working with them starting next month and if they want they can have all the files and i will not have a problem with that. After all there was a full 8 years of very well paid work at the time. It was all that intense work that turned me from an entry level designer to a senior freelancer and because of all this i managed to stay away from the one-off minor jobs freelancers usually get when starting out.

I learned how to deal with management, how to deal with 10 of their employees at the same time, how to talk to investors in the company. Handled multiple urgent jobs at the same time. People coming by helicopter for the meeting. I learned alot of stuff in that 8 year span aside from the actual money being earned. We had contracts, more than one contract actually, but i didn't want any kind of conflict with their legal department and honestly didn't want to delay their workflow which was obviously too large for one single designer.

So i just let it go.

I packed and delivered all the files, emailed passwords, contacts of suppliers and everything that was useful for them to fully take over the work.

They kind of got my position and we separated in good terms, kept in contact for a while, but they quickly had to hire other providers and that was that. No more emails and calls a few weeks after that.

One year later, the bosses left that company and started a new company. Came back to me for the same type of work, but this time I negociated better terms, better rates and got an assistant to help on busy days.

The job is still working today after 4 years with the new company, they've got an IT department with access to all the web stuff, so backup and passwords is their job, they've got a marketing department and they pick their own paper stock and only occasionally ask me about that. More people sharing the load, easier to focus on the actual design part.

I wouldn't give them or any client really anything if its one of your sources.

"Thank you for your inquiry. My sources and vendors are part of the value I bring through my X years of experience. Just as you have your sources for Y and Z (whatever they do) and wouldn't want to be disclosing that. I cannot provide you with this information as it will cause material harm to my business.

If they persist perhaps an anology would help:

After you buy a shirt from Ralph Lauren (or whatever) do you then demand the sales person to tell you where Ralph Lauren sourced the fabric from? Of course not, so please don't make such ridiculous requests from me.

tl:dr; Don't hold back on information that is not specifically yours, but let them do the leg work since they're not your client anymore. If you want to be non-confrontational, I would definitely try to deflect as much as possible so that you don't seem like the bad guy.

There are a couple of things here:

Source files

Other than branding material (various vector versions of their logo), I wouldn't provide any files since as you've mentioned, they're yours. A lot of clients don't know this however, and telling them makes you the bearer of bad news. The way I've handled this in the past is that I'll find an authoritative source online that explains this (maybe some link from AIGA or a law firm) and send it as a response. Then add that you may be willing to provide files for a price, and ask them which material they would be interested in getting a quote for. If they want a quote for the 10 years of material you did for them, I think it would be fair to charge a small fee.

Website passwords

Re: "If something happened to you"... It seems very unlikely to me that a reputable web provider would refuse access to a site if something had happened to the designer, given enough evidence from the client (but I may be misled on this). It seems much more likely that someone who's trying stuff around will break the site and leave you to fix it.

One way to handle this could be to explain that you'll give out the administrator password directly to another reputable supplier (that's also a pretty good way to know for sure you've been kicked out). This way you can be sure that if they mess stuff up, it's not your problem anymore.

Print specifications

I would probably just reply saying that I am too busy to look into the matter at the moment but that they can take a sample to another printer to have them identify the stock/weight.

Personal experience, take it as this, and sorry for the english.

Once I had to testify in a process as a person indirectly involved.

I worked as a freelance designer for an adviser's office with a small advertising agency. I had a direct relationship with the clients, excellent with all of them. My job was to design, provide and present designs directly to the client, after passing the approval of the agency. All this was under strict service contracts.

The marketing director of one of these clients requested maternity leave, and had to be replaced. The new marketing director, without much experience in the business world, struggled day after day for her work continuity after the replacement. This was manifested with a lot of insecurity, quite a lack of criteria in absolutely everything and, in general, poor professionalism.

A few weeks after starting working, she began to try to get involved in matters outside her jurisprudence, such as calling the print to ask what budgets we had requested from the agency for the company's projects.

The agency sent a statement warning to the company because she was meddling in lands that didn't correspond to her, in fact her company was paying for all these services we performed.

All this was getting worse, to the point of requiring the printing company to deliver her CDs with our files. Something totally illegal.

The agency had no choice but to take legal action against the person, on behalf of the company for which she worked.

As directly involved I had to go to testify. The company lawyer asked me:

• Is the contracted agency obliged to deliver all the components referring to the designs to the company that requests it?–

My answer:

• YES in everything related to creative process, NOT in regard to production, this is a part of our profession and we are paid to make the 100% of this job.

The judge nodded and said: to a trick question, a concrete answer.